While many dog owners prefer a purebred dog, there are many benefits to owning a mixed breed dog. A great combination is a Labrador and Golden Retriever mix. This new hybrid is called a Golden Labrador although it is not officially recognized by the AKC.

All breeds have specific characteristics, but the combination of these two dogs provide you with a medium to large size dog in stature that is good natured as well as highly intelligent. While the physical features of these dogs tend to favor the Golden Retriever, they tend to have many characteristics similar to both breeds. These dogs are easy to train with large attention spans and make great guide dogs for the physically impaired as well as great hunting dogs because of their keen sense of smell.

Male Golden Labs usually weigh between 75 and 85 pounds, and females weigh 55 to 75 pounds. These dogs generally live between 10 and 12 years, but with a healthy diet, exercise and physical and mental stimulation can live much longer. The female’s average litter is around 8 puppies.

These dogs have a keen sense of smell, are good swimmers and have great endurance so can run for a long time. They have a dense, waterproof coat and do tend to shed. Brushing your Lab mix will help with the shedding, however will not alleviate it. I once read that you should choose a Labrador with a coat that matches your carpet or put in a carpet that matches you Lab.

These dogs make wonderful family pets, especially if there are children, although as a precaution, a new dog should never be left unattended with a small child. As mentioned previously, they are strong, athletic animals that can accidentally harm a younger child just by playing with them.

Golden Labradors are extremely sensitive to sound and have loud and threatening barks that should send any intruders running. Even though they have a loud bark, they are not great watch dogs. If an intruder were to enter, they bark, but in most cases will never attack. Their bark is definitely worse that their bite.

Although this mixed breed can live in an apartment, they are active dogs and do best when there is a medium to large sized yard. Golden Labs also love to swim, so would be in heaven to have a backyard with a swimming pool. This breed loves to eat, so daily physical exercise is extremely important. Labradors are extremely affectionate dogs and constantly want to please their owners. They are sweet, affectionate and love to play.

Because these dogs shed all of the time, if you or a family member have allergies you may want to consider a Labradoodle, which is a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle that doesn’t shed as much. Like Golden Labs, they are highly intelligent, easily trained and take great pleasure in learning.